For the 20th edition of the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie, the executive committee, led by artistic director François Cheval, selected Maia Flore and Guillaume Martial as the winners. Maia Flore, 26, quickly made a name for herself after graduating from the École des Gobelins in 2010, and she joined the Agence VU a year latter. Her work has been widely published, and her series Sleep Elevations, first exhibited at the Festival Circulation(s) in 2011, later toured Europe and the United States.
Today we’re sharing a selection of the award-winning photographs.
“Maia Flore believes in the virtues of a form of photography freed from harsh reality. Reality is only of interest when transfigured. Using herself as a model, or rather as an active subject, she stages poetic, metaphorical and improbable situations. This photography is like Elizabethan poetry! The work is deeply imbued with the characteristics of her anatomy: long red hair, pale skin, but reserved, not at all exhibitionist. The body is a bridge, a tree, an object. It fuses with the world, it breathes, like a rambling tongue.”
François Cheval, Artistic Director, 2015
L’Oeil de la Photographie: What was your reaction to winning the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie? And what does it mean for you to be the winner of this 20th edition?
Maia Flore: The announcement came as such a surprise that I felt like I was walking on clouds for a few hours. The Prix HSBC is a major photography award and a sign of support and confidence from important photography professionals who looked both at my previous and future work.
LODLP : Can you tell us about the series you submitted for this edition of the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie?
MF : I decided to submit an artistic approach instead of a series. The portfolio was kind of a gamble, because I wanted to present a set of pictures demonstrating an evolving personal style.
LODLP : For the first time, the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie will be supporting the production of a series to be exhibited at the Maison de la Photographie in Lille next December. Do you already have an idea of what you want that series to be?
MF : Yes, I have an idea that I’ve been working on for a few years. It will be ready by the end of the year…
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS IN FRANCE
Laureate Prix HSBC pour la photographie 2015
Maja Flore & Guillaume Martial
• Galerie le Réverbère
From April 2nd to May 2nd, 2015
38 rue Burdeau
69001 Lyon
• Galerie Esther Woerderhoff
From May 12th to June 6th, 2015
36 rue Falguière
75015 Paris
• Musée de la Photographie André Villers
From June 20th to Septembre 20th, 2015
Porte Sarrazine
06250 Mougins
• L’Arsenal
From October 2nd to November 1st 2015
3 avenue Ney
57000 Metz
• Maison de la Photographie
From 3 to 30 December 2015
28 rue Pierre Legrand
59000 Lille
France
http://hsbc.fr/prixhsbc
CURRENT EXHIBITION
Le Modulor
Guillaume Martial
In part of Circulation(s) festival
From January 24th to March 8th, 2015
Gare Paris Nord
75018 Paris
France
http://www.festival-circulations.com
http://www.guillaumemartial.fr
